God Commissions Moses to Egypt

In times like these, we all need a word of encouragement. From pastor and best selling author Max Lakato comes the Max Locato Encouraging Word Podcast. With over 40 years of ministry and more than 145 million books sold in 50 languages, Max shares the greatest story ever told. The living savior who brings hope for a lifetime. Through rich biblical insight, heartfelt storytelling, you'll be reminded that God is always near, always for you, and always in you. Listen to the Max Locato Encouraging Word Podcast, where hope meets your day. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcast. Life Audio The Bible Study Podcast, episode nine sixty six. Today the Bible study podcast continues a study of the book of Exodus. Continuing on from chapter two. Welcome to the Bible Study Podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We're going to continue on with Moses story, talking about Moses as an adult, but first a word from this sponsor. 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One day after Moses had grown up he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew? The man said, Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought What I did must have become known. When Pharaoh heard of this he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian. Where he sat down by a well. Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. When the girls returned to Ruel their father, he asked them Why have you returned so early today? They answered. An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock. And where is he, Rule? Asked his daughters, Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat. Moses agreed to stay with the man who gave his daughter Zapora to Moses in marriage. Je Zippora gave gave birth to a son and Moses named him Gersham. saying I have become a foreigner in a foreign land. During that long period the king of Egypt died, and The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. So Moses Group remember in Pharaoh's household. And so when he goes out to see where his own people were he and watch them at their hard labor. He is not taking part in that. He hasn't had to do that. But he knows that he is a Hebrew. He would have been told that by people around him. And so he is going out to see how his people are getting treated and sees one being mistreated. And Kills him, which is not great. I remember when I was doing chaplain ministry to youth in juvenile hall. And I mentioned in a sermon of my church three people That were murderers. that I wanted to introduce my kids to and the three of them were Moses and King David. And Saul, also known as Paul. Because all three of them We're murderers. We're not encouraging people to do that. W but the surprising thing is that even after that terrible act. later on God is able to use them. God is able to forgive and And use these people. And that was something that I thought would bring hope to the people who I was teaching in Junal Hall because it was a lockdown unit for violent youth offenders, and some of them were in fact murderers. So It is interesting to see that Moses His story doesn't end here. It doesn't end in the desert as a shepherd, although he certainly probably thinks it will at this point. In this beginning of this section, he is an Egyptian. Remember that's what his Soon wife. Calls him. she and her sisters who have him intervene with them. But he is in their minds an Egyptian. He probably dresses like an Egyptian. He talks like an Egyptian. He grew up in Pharaoh's house. Although now he is a fugitive. He is fleeing Pharaoh be because Pharaoh is going to have him Executed. says Pharaoh wants to have him killed. When a leader does that, we call it an execution, and in this case It would have been justified. With the Egyptian law, that's what Moses deserves. So he goes out into the desert, he finds this priest of Midian who has seven daughters, he helps them, drives away the shepherd. And they take him in. And he becomes A son in law and a husband. Brother in law. to this group of people in the desert. He becomes a father to Gershem. Which is a name that sounds like a foreigner there. And so This is where he lives now. He's a shepherd. But there's other things going on. The king of Egypt is dying, the pharaoh is dying, and God is hearing his people cry out. And God is not done with them yet. Either. So this story Is not over. Let's continue on to Moses and the burning bush. Chapter three. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jothro His father in law, the priest of Midian, he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought I will go over and see this strange sight. Why the bush does not burn up? When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called him from within the bush, Moses. Moses. And Moses said, Here I am. Do not come any closer, God said, Take off your sandals, for the place that you are standing is holy ground. Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac. and the God of Jacob. At this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. And I'm gonna pause there for a second. You would think from the way this appears in the book of Exodus that this happens the next day or the next week or a couple months from now or something like this. This is years later. Moses at this point is a shepherd and he's been a shepherd for most of his life. And he is at this point an old man. So it's taken a while to get to this point where he's walking along and he sees a bush. Burning but isn't burning up. And a voice speaking to him out of that bush. And it continues, the Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I've heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of the land into a good and spacious land. A land flowing with milk and honey, the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites. Parasites. Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people The Israelites out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. Moses said to God, Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask what is his name? Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you were to say to the Israelites. I am sent me to you. God also said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, the Lord The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me To you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me. From generation. Generation. Go assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, The Lord the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrah Abraham Isaac and Jacob appeared to me and said, I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites Amorites, Perizites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. The elders of Israel will listen to you, then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him. The Lord the God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us take a three day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians. All the wonders that I will perform among them. After that he will let you go. And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people. So that when you leave you will not go empty handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. Which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder. The Egyptians. This is not the end of this conversation. But we're gonna pause here uh for this particular episode and look at what's going on here. So Moses. Given a command, God is ready at this point. To the Israelites out of Egypt and bring them into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Barizites, Hivites, and Jebusites. It doesn't say in this section why them why is God giving their land to to the Israelites, but we'll learn more about that later. But this cry has gone out, God has heard it, and the person he's going to use Do this. Is Moses. Now Moses will have some thoughts on that, which we'll talk about. Next week. Moses' first question is a good question, is who should I say is sending me? And we get this very famous phrase, I am who I am. And so God is known as the great I am. God who is, who was, and who is to come, who is outside of time. The great I am. This is the name that the Jews still use and that we still use sometimes to call God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. the great I am.